Marcus Kinhult extended his lead to four shots as the final round of the HNA Open de France started to heat up at Le Golf National.
The Swede entered round four of the third Rolex Series event of the season with a two-shot lead but a birdie on the third saw him move to 11 under and extend his advantage.
World Number Five Jon Rahm also made a gain in his first three holes to sit at seven under, a shot clear of England's Chris Wood and two ahead of Sergio Garcia and Julian Suri.
Justin Thomas was in the group at four under alongside Swedish pair Alexander Björk and Alex Noren, Scot Russell Knox and England's Matthew Southgate.
A win for Kinhult would be his first on the European Tour in just his 31st event having had to graduate from the Qualifying School and the Challenge Tour in recent years.
Rahm was going in search of a third Rolex Series victory and fourth European Tour title in 12 months.
World Number Two Thomas found water with his second shot on the first to drop a stroke but picked it straight back up with a nice tee-shot on the second.
Playing partner Suri played an even better tee-shot on the par three to leave himself a tap-in for birdie to get within five of the leader.
Back on the first, Garcia's Sunday challenge potentially threatened to be over before it had begun as he found the water with his first and third shots and failed to get up and down to surrender a triple-bogey.
Suri then made it back-to-back birdies on the par five third to join Rahm - who had made a par-par start - at six under but gave a shot back on the next.
Rahm broke his run as he made the most of the third, with playing partner Garcia also picking up a shot after almost holing his bunker shot for eagle.
Wood got in real trouble on the third, finding the thick rough off the tee and failing to get out of it before playing a poor chip from over the back of the green for a double-bogey.
Kinhult had no such trouble, holing a six-foot birdie putt for a four-shot lead.
Southgate was five under for his 13 holes, Knox was four under through ten, and Björk and Noren had both picked up a single stroke.
Kinhult and Suri were on course to qualify for the Open Championship later this month along with Knox.
